In 2019 he was found guilty on various charges, including drug trafficking. Although he was arrested and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison in 1993, he continued to be a key figure in the cartel, and, according to various reports, he gained full control of the organization in 1995. Investigations into the students disappearances have purportedly found evidence that authorities, including the police and military, conspired with cartel members in the crimes; the government launched a new inquiry after the students families, human rights groups, and independent experts questioned the handling of the previous investigation. The attorney general said the U.S. government would work to seek their extradition to face charges on American soil. SAN DIEGO - Four sons of Joaqun Guzmn Loera, the imprisoned former Sinaloa Cartel leader known as El Chapo, were indicted by a federal grand jury for large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering and violent crimes in connection with their assumption of cartel leadership following their father's arrest and extradition to the United States. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. As the Mexican government intensified its efforts to arrest suspected drug lords, he eluded capture, but other cartel leaders were imprisoned, weakening organizations and giving rise to splinter groups. Europe Program, What Northern Ireland Teaches Us About Ending the Ukraine War, Article Ukraine remains intent on wresting Crimea back from Russia, but doing so would be difficult, and the peninsula could become a bargaining chip in future diplomatic talks. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Sutton for the Southern District of California and Acting Deputy Chief Katharine Wagner and Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Divisions Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, and Assistant U.S. Fierro-Ramirez later was killed in a shootout with Mexicanlaw enforcement. Their bodies were left in an affluent area in Jurez along Avenida Plutarco Elas Calles. In sweeping indictments, the Justice Department targeted two dozen operatives in the Chapitos network of the Sinaloa cartel. A video posted on social media appears to show passengers crouching and cowering in their seats. Other charged individuals include operators of secret labs in Mexico where fentanyl is made, weapons dealers who help the Sinaloa Cartel arm its security, and money launderers who funded the operations. In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama designated the groups members as significant foreign narcotics traffickers and imposed financial sanctions on it under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. The Mexican cartels (The Sinaloa, Los Zetas, The Gulf Cartel, and the Knights Templar, most notably) and their known drug associates continue to escalate gratuitous acts of retaliation and often record the executions . The US had put out a reward of up to $5m (4.2m) for information leading to his arrest or conviction, as well as that of three of his brothers who are also thought to have kept their positions of command in the group. Cartel Gunmen If youre shopping for a new purse, check out these luxurious bags that look quite high-end, but cost less than $100. Jalisco splintered from Sinaloa in 2010 and is among Mexicos fastest-growing cartels, with operations in more than two-thirds of the country. Mexicos drug cartels are in a constant state of flux. Recent efforts have centered on the Mrida Initiative; since Presidents George W. Bush and Caldern launched the partnership [PDF] in 2007, the United States has appropriated more than $3 billion for it. Gulf Cartel. Mexico City Assailants left 10 beaten, murdered bodies in front of the governor's office in the north-central Mexican state of Zacatecas on Thursday. The initiative has evolved to reflect the priorities of national leaders. The vehicle was parked off the main road for 16 hours in Caborca, in the neighbouring state of Sonora, before being allowed to move again. This assistance has gone toward purchases of military aircraft, surveillance software, and other equipment. Its origins can be traced to the Guadalajara cartel, which was one of Mexico's largest crime organizations in the early 1980s. . Nearly 200 people die every day from fentanyl poisoning. First published on April 14, 2023 / 11:53 AM. 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sinaloa Cartel Leader Hunted After Killing Priests, Baseball Players and US Tourist. They also coerce officials into cooperating; assassinations of journalists and public servants by the cartels are relatively common. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The amount of fentanyl seized by Mexican authorities nearly quintupled between 2019 and 2020. In an interview with Insight Crimes Katie Jones, University of Warwick Professor Benjamin T. Smith explains how his book The Dope unpacks misperceptions about Mexicos drug trade. He will now arrive on Sunday, a day earlier than previously expected, according to a tweet by Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. These include hiding or disguising drugs in vehicles or maritime vessels, smuggling them into the United States through underground tunnels, and flying them over border barriers using drones or other aircraft. The International Crisis Groups Falko Ernst visualizes Mexicos war against the cartels. This case and others we have brought out of the Southern District of Californiademonstrate our unwavering resolveto dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel by attacking it at every level., These indictments have been a long time in the making and we wouldnt be here without the collaboration of our local, state, federal, and international partners, said Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBIs San Diego Field Office. Global Climate Agreements: Successes and Failures, Backgrounder What has Mexico done to stem the drug trade. Formerly led by Joaqun El Chapo Guzmn, Sinaloa is one of Mexicos oldest and most influential drug trafficking groups. Religion and Foreign Policy Webinars, A Conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, Virtual Event Read about our approach to external linking. 2023 BBC. Also, a former police officer with the Jurez police department had been on the opposite side of the Sinaloas. MEXICO / 29 JUN 2022 BY HENRY SHULDINER EN. Marrufo interrogated the man in a safe house, the witness said. The FBI wants the four Chinese nationals captured and is offering a $1 million reward, though taking them into custody to face charges in the U.S. will likely prove difficult. President Obama widened the scope of aid to target fundamental reforms to Mexicos justice system and to develop crime-prevention programs at the community level, among other efforts, in what became known as Mrida 2.0 [PDF]. Sinaloa cartel leader arrested in connection to 1985 murder Mexico captured infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the 1985 killing of a Drug Enforcement Administration agent and . But 2015 saw an uptick, and by the end of his term, the number of homicides had risen to the highest level in modern Mexican history. It is based in Culiacn, Sinaloa state, Mexico. The drugs would be smuggled into El Paso and taken to other U.S. cities, while weapons and money earned from the drugs would be smuggled back across the border, witnesses testified duringthe trial. Over the last 15 years, murders became ever more violentand ever more public. According to the DEA, the "rapid expansion of its. "The pioneers in hanging bodies were the Zetas cartel during the war against the Sinaloa Cartel in Coahuila and Tamaulipas states around the '90s," said David Saucedo, a Mexico-based security analyst. Mexican drug cartels are leading suppliers of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other illicit narcotics to the United States. According to the Justice Department, both sides "pledged" to increase information-sharing and cooperation on criminal investigations. . If someone shit talked the Sinaloa cartel and got shot in the street by like 25 men in a standing horizontally in a row then that guy better be thankful cuz they showed mercy. Video Shows The Moment Mexican Security Forces Captured The While other organizations expanded into human trafficking and extortion, among other activities, the Sinaloa cartel remained largely centred on drugs. The cartels and the drug trade fuel rampant, to tens of thousands of homicides in the country each. Accident; Beating; Beheading; Cartel; Cops; Crime; . In the ensuing turf battles, a wave of unprecedented violence swept Mexico. The cases against the other 14 defendants arepending in federal court. "It's no longer enough to protect our children from drug dealers in the park or on the street cornerbecause now those drug dealers ply their deadly trade on social media apps running on the phones in our kids' pockets," Monaco said. They are also charged with additional drug trafficking, money laundering, firearms and violent crimes. Estimates of its annual revenue ranged from $3 billion to $39 billion. In Cancun alone there was 540 murders last year. Notorious Mexican cartel leader and hitman Edgar Valdez-Villareal has disappeared from the federal prison database, despite not being eligible for release until 2056. Mexico later deployed twenty-five thousand National Guard members to secure its borders, which some experts say increased violence and diminished the countrys cartel-fighting capacity. His father, Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn, is serving a life sentence in the US after being found guilty in 2019 of drug trafficking and money laundering. Federal officials on Friday detailed the Chapitos' gruesome and cruel practices aimed at extending their power and amassing greater wealth from testing the potency of the fentanyl they allegedly produced on prisoners to feeding victims of their violence to tigers in order to intimidate civilians. with Heidi Campbell and Paul Brandeis Raushenbush Director of Media Relations Kelly Thornton (619) 546-9726 . US President Joe Biden is due to visit Mexico for a North American leaders' summit next week. Testimony came from several Mexicanlocal and state law enforcement officers who were working for the cartels and taking bribes to ignore the drug and weapon trafficking done by the criminal organization. Another splinter group of the BLO, Los Rojos operates in central and southwestern Mexico and relies largely on kidnapping and extortion. Authorities noted that Sinaloa, along with other cartels, had become increasingly involved in the distribution of fentanyl, which contributed to the growing opioid crisis in the United States. "The violence gave rise to Ciudad Juarez being named the deadliest city in the world.. The spiralling cartel wars have left a backlog of 30,000 unidentified corpses languishing in . by Will Freeman November 11, 2022 / 6:06 AM / CBS/AP Nine people are dead, including four women, after gunmen burst into a bar and opened fire in the violence-wracked Mexican state of Guanajuato, authorities said. In 2017, Americans spent $153 billion [PDF] on illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. As the Sinaloa cartel warred with the rival Zetas (another cartel), some victims would be publicly beheaded, or have their murders posted on social media. Renewing America, Backgrounder The operation, which began at dawn in Culiacn, in Sinaloa state, north-west Mexico, sparked a wave of violence from armed cartel members. The indictment alleges that the Chapitos moved drugs and money on a grand scale, and secured and maintained power with intimidation and violence, said IRS-CI Chief Jim Lee. Iglesias-Villegas was one of the drivers of the vehicles used during the kidnapping of the victims, the affidavit states. CJNG, which routinely faces off with its No. Extra security, including U.S. marshals and metal detectors, was presentthroughout the trial. Shows Urquidi was a former Chihuahua State police officer who worked for "Garduo cell leader Sergio "Comandante" Garduo Escobedo. It was me or him.. Last updated September 7, 2022 2:45 pm (EST), By entering your email and clicking subscribe, you're agreeing to receive announcements from CFR about our products and services, as well as invitations to CFR events. Iglesias-Villegasalso was convicted of five counts of violent crimes in aid of racketeeringand one count each of conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, and kidnapping and aiding and abetting kidnapping. No reason was given for why he was arriving early. In a highly controversial move in February 2019, Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and ordered the deployment of thousands of active-duty military troops there, citing an influx of illicit drugs, criminals, and undocumented immigrants. Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic. And in 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized more than 50 million fentanyl-laced pills, more than double the amount collected the year prior, the Justice Department said. April 18, 2023. Monaco highlighted the need to combat drug trafficking and fentanyl proliferation on social media, telling reporters on Friday that she and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram met with social media companies last week discuss how social media companies "must do more to stop the sale of fentanyl on their platforms.". By 2007, Mexican cartels controlled an estimated 90 percent [PDF] of the cocaine entering the United States. Mr Guzmn-Lpez - nicknamed "The Mouse" - was extracted by helicopter and flown to the capital before being taken to a maximum security federal prison. Several other drug and weapon charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to court records. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? In 2014 Guzmn was apprehended in Mazatln, Sinaloa, Mexico, but the following year he escaped from prison through a tunnel. Former Sinaloa drug cartel members and associates, along with law enforcement, continued to testify about the notorious criminal organization as the second week of the "Wedding Murders . March 23, 2023 While there will always be more work to be done, these indictments will continue the dismantlement of an extremely vicious criminal enterprise that has been a primary driver of violence in our communities. He went on trial in 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York andwas convicted on several drug trafficking, weaponand operating a criminal enterprise charges. President Caldern declared war on the cartels shortly after taking office. How to Prepare for the Future After Seven Decades of the U.S.-South Korea Alliance, In Brief He remains detained in Mexico pending extradition proceedings. The US announced an award of $5m for information leading to Mr Guzmn-Lpez's arrest. The witness said Iglesias was aware of such incidents and was involved. According to the testimony, Fierro-Ramirez feared Shows Urquidi knew too much about the cartel, so he took out a contract to have Shows Urquidi killed. Ovidio Guzmn-Lpez, 32, alleged to be a leader of his father's former cartel, was captured in Culiacn and flown to Mexico City on Thursday. Possibly fearing extradition to the United States, Guzmn escaped from prison in 2001. Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs)sometimes referred to as transnational criminal organizationsdominate the import and distribution of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine in the United States. The informant also testified that Shows Urquidi confessed to playing a key role in the killing of fellow Mexicanstate police Officer Jesus Rodrigo Fierro-Ramirez. Shows Urquidi is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 10, whilesentencing for Iglesias-Villegas is set for Feb.11, according to theU.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas. The victims' bodies were discovered by Jurez police a few days later in the bed of an abandoned pickup, officials said. But during and after the arrest, 10 soldiers and 19 suspects were killed. Sinaloa cartel, international crime organization that is among the most-powerful drug-trafficking syndicates in the world. by Olivia Angelino, Thomas J. Bollyky, Elle Ruggiero and Isabella Turilli OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. November 4, 2022 In August 2022, a judge ordered the former attorney general who oversaw the original investigation to stand trial on charges of forced disappearance, failure to report torture, and misconduct. The Chapitos are alleged to have repeatedly and consistently obtained and transported multi-ton quantities of cocaine from and through Central and South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala, into Mexico, stored that cocaine throughout Mexico, and transported it across the U.S.-Mexico border for further distribution throughout the United States. You are also agreeing to our, For media inquiries on this topic, please reach out to, AMLOs Hugs Not Bullets Is Failing Mexico, Mexican Migration Could Be the First Crisis of 2021. The cartel is allegedly responsible for waves of murders, kidnappings and assassinations. The group is known to have a partnership with the CJNG, using the same transportation networks to move drug shipments to and from the United States. A Congressional Research Service report details the scope and activities [PDF] of Mexicos drug trafficking groups. Zambada still iswanted by the U.S. governmenton several criminal charges related to the Sinaloa drug cartel. Videos on social media have shown burning buses blocking roads in Culiacn. Several other drug and weaponcharges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to court records. That state was long involved in the illegal drug industry as home to marijuana and poppy crops, and it was also the birthplace of numerous drug traffickers, including Hctor Luis Palma Salazar and Joaqun Guzmn Loera, who was known as El Chapo (Shorty).
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